Mozilla closing in on Firefox 3.0 beta

Mozilla is nearing a release of the first beta of Firefox 3.0, which is several months behind schedule, making a final version of the open-source browser this year unlikely.

According to notes posted on Mozilla's Web site, Beta 1 is close at hand. "With Firefox 3 Beta 1 just around the corner (release candidates coming soon), it's time to start focusing on what it will take to ship a final product that we're all excited about," said Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's user interface designer in a posting on his blog.

In another note, the browser's QA team called for volunteers to stress-test the Beta 1 release candidate this Friday, typically a sign that a roll-out is just days away.